South Korea's unification ministry said Tuesday it plans to release the English version of its report on North Korea's human rights situation within a few days.

In late March, the government made public its report on the North's human rights violations for the first time, highlighting widespread rights abuses, such as public executions and torture.

"We are preparing to release the English report within a few days," a ministry official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

The move is aimed at helping raise international awareness of the North's appalling rights situation, according to the ministry.

The latest report said North Koreans' right to life appears to be "seriously" threatened due to North Korean authorities' "arbitrary" use of power for human rights violations.

The ministry has opened to the public its annual report on the North's dismal human rights record for the first time, since it began drafting it in 2018 under the North Korean Human Rights Act passed in 2016. (Yonhap)